hello from a newbie

[wee_lass]

ok

I am thinking of buying a bike, but i dunno wots best, and i don't really want to spend a fortune. Maybe about £150.

anyways i have found these two that i quite like...as i do not want anything thats girlie! I am about 5ft tall by the way, so just a wee lass

so as i was saying these are 2 i have found.

i have no idea if either of them are good or if they are practically the same or whats best to go for..

or has anyone seen anything else great that i should go for??

so please advise oh wise ones.

http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Product.as...ledGoodsFullSuspensionBikes/740411?ref=Search

or

http://www.littlewoodsdirect.com/rf...tem_id=15&Mis_item_loc_id=1&product=449792510



thank you

feel free to make suggestions

 

[punkypossum]

Whatever you do, do not buy a full suspension bike at that price...it's gonna be really heavy and the suspension will make you bounce like you are on a pogo stick. For a cheapish decent bike that's good value for money, have a look at the Carrera Subway 1 from Halfords (or you could look at 2nd hand bikes). Also obviously depends what you want to use it for...

(P.S. I'm definitely not a wise one, but spend some time on here and you end picking loads of useful info from more experienced riders)

 

[wee_lass]

cheers see i am rather clueless when it comes to bikes!

 

[Fab Foodie]

Hi wee lass
Welcome!

It's late and I'll be brief.
I wouldn't touch either with a barge pole.

If you want a general getting around bike I'd avoid anything with Suspension snd knobbly tyres, it'll be sooo heavy and slow you'll give-up cycling for good.

Some alternatives?
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/hybrid-bikes-3962871/

Decathlon Bikes are always good value for money, these are basic but will get you most places without fuss.

If you can stretch the budget and these gusy are close
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebw...kID=2908&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c003155c002908

Or any from here...
http://www.evanscycles.com/dept.jsp?dept_id=4218&subdept_id=1110
The Dawes would be a very good starting place.


Also check-out your local bike shop. They might also have second hand... if a good make then no worries.

Whatever you do, don't buy a cheap full suspension bike from a catalogue or anywhere that is not a proper bike shop. Halfrauds do SOME good bikes, but a lot of tat as well, if in doubt ask here.

Finally, tell us what you need the bike to do... fun rides, commuting, shopping, towpaths, trails whatever, more info the better we can help!

 

[wee_lass]

atm its basically just for fun, towpaths and trails etc. and prob have a kiddie with me some of the time on a bike seat. with him will just cycle along the canal or something. just for some fun. I have 2 bike seats that have been given to me, have yet to decide on what one i will use. one of them is a rear seat and the other one goes infront of the rider so the kid wld b infront of me iykwim.

thanks for the info, thought i wld get some advice before i ventured on to buying anything.

 

[Fab Foodie]

atm its basically just for fun, towpaths and trails etc. and prob have a kiddie with me some of the time on a bike seat. with him will just cycle along the canal or something. just for some fun. I have 2 bike seats that have been given to me, have yet to decide on what one i will use. one of them is a rear seat and the other one goes infront of the rider so the kid wld b infront of me iykwim.

thanks for the info, thought i wld get some advice before i ventured on to buying anything.

In that case, definately no suspension!
The options I linked would all be fine, however a word of caution; very-low step-through style frames can be very wobbly with 1 kiddy seat let alone 2.Try and find one with as near a high cross-bar as possible... they'll have more rigidity.

 

[wee_lass]

i am only gonna use 1 kiddie seat, i was just given 2 and not sure what one is best yet, as haven't got a bike to put it on atm.

thanx for the advice

 

[dantheman]

hello there wee lass, and welcome, i am a relative newcomer to both cycling and this forum, but if you ask, there is lots of knowledgable people here to help you..
please dont get a dual suspension bike, theyre more "toys" than bikes- see one of my earlier threads for my opinion:

http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=12483

The advice above is pretty good, you may want to stretch your budget a little if you intend to use the bike a lot (200 is where reliability starts).. Also, i can wholeheartedly recommend the dawes discovery range of hybrids, they seem built to last, and pretty good value (maybe a 201 model?) - ive got a discovery 601, and am very happy with it, and they can take any mudguards/ panniers if you wish to add them at later date... the edinburgh cycles revolution range is also very highly regarded, i also thought about getting one, but without being able to see one before ordering it, it wasnt for me personally.. whatever you decide to get, good luck, and i hope youre happy with it- theres plenty of good bikes out there, and im sure someone will be along shortly to recommend more..

 

[bonj2]

Increase your budget a little bit. What i always say is why are people willing to spend thousands on a car and various other things, yet they think they can get away with getting a good bike for £150.
If you posted on a car forum saying what car can I get for £3000, they'd tell you undoubtedly that you're looking at a second hand one. Same with this. The only decent bike you're going to get for £150 will be a second hand one, but then you will be able to get quite a decent one if you look around. Get the free-ads paper and look in there.

 

[andyfromotley]

Hello wee lass welcome to the forum. Every thing those above have said is correct. Whatever you get enjoy it!

andy

 

[swee'pea99]

Hi Wee Lass

Wot they said plus....

At that kind of money, you get a lot more for it second hand. Do an 'advanced search' on ebay, and specify items 'within 10/25 miles' of your post code, and see what comes up. I'd suggest that unless you are handy with a spanner (or know someone who is) you stick to bikes that are new or virtually new (lots of people buy good bikes with good intentions but then go straight back to the telly) - but as a rule of thumb, you'll get such 'new or as good as' bikes for half their brand new price. So you could get a £300 bike for your £150 - which will be a *lot* better than a £150 bike.

 

[RedBike]

If possible I would avoid buying the bike from any of the catalogue/high street stores like Littlewood/ Toys R us. The bikes are probably at best described as poor. Furthermore, they probably wont arrive assembled (and even if they did having seen some of their display models I sure as heck wouldn't ride one without checking everything myself first!)

 

[mickle]

Are you anywhere near York Wee lass? I'll sell you a bike from our commuter support programme; 2007 Kona Smoke, teeny 14" frame size, two months light useage, fitted with p*ncture resistant road tyres, mudgourds. Retailed at £300ish, you can have one for £180.

 

[wee_lass]

sorry no where near york

glad i have come here for advise though.

my mum had seen the 'crap' bikes in my first post and suggested that i buy a bike. then someone gave me their child seats they no longer use, and i thought, yeh it wld be good to get into cycling. but i know feck all about bikes! as u can obv tell.

I will have another look around and see what i come up with,

 

[Dayvo]

sorry no where near york

Isn't it worth a trip, if at all possible?

That's a very generous offer from mickle! And he's our forum 'mechanic'; what he don't know aint worf knowin'!